Thoughts on products, performance, and doublethink in the magic community.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Brooks' Long Lost Twin?

I have a confession to make. Occasionally I visit the MagicCafe and make a post. Yes, the guy who runs the site is an overbearing and self-important jerk, to say the least. But a small minority of Cafe members actually offer helpful advice.

Most, however, are idiots. Like Ross MacRae. I made a post on the Cafe asking how to deal with kids who interrupt me with irrelevant stories or comments.

Ross, the rotund fountain of wisdom, had this to offer.---So ... you want an audience of little robots sitting reverently and silently while "wonderful you" performs his art? Get a TV show!

Entertainment is never "me to you exclusively." You are there to have an interaction with the audience even if their input consists only of applause and the occasional gasp of astonishment. And when with children, it's never limited to that.

I can't say that your attitude as expressed is very likely to come across well to a children's audience (or, for that matter, with most adult audiences.) It may be what you want, but the disrespect simply drips from it. You're not there to be worshiped, you're there to entertain, and that means to SERVE - that's why entertainers bow to audiences, not the other way around.

True, you can't let idle conversation take over the show. But all of the comments you cited could be handled much better with an "Oh, really? How many people have grandpas who are magicians? That's a lot of you, I guess I'm going to have to try really hard to be better than a grandpa!"---I am quite impressed. He managed to completely ignore the meaning of my question, and compose a shockingly irrelevant reply. That skill is limited to like, 90% of MagicCafe members.

I indicate a desire to have my audience's attention. Ross MacMoron thinks I want to be "worshipped" and turn the kids into "little robots sitting reverently and silently." What a vapid, stupid, condescendingly insecure fucker.

P.S.His poorly designed website has a video of Ross inflicting himself on unfortunate audiences. It's no coincidence that volunteers' faces are blurred out and pixellated? Would you want to associate yourself with this tool?